ReFo: Titans @ Redskins, Week 7

In a battle of backup quarterbacks the Washington Redskins squeezed by with a win. No one was able to take the game by the scruff of the neck and take charge of the game. Instead it was a game that the Washington Redskins found fewer ways to lose than the Tennessee Titans did.

The reality of this Week 7 encounter could have more to do with the 2015 draft standings than any impact we see for the rest of the season. Going forward both teams will be more looking to see who will be on their roster next season than where they will be for the playoffs in January.

Let’s see who stood out for each side.

Tennessee Titans – Performances of Note

Michael Griffin, FS: -0.5

Breakdown: Michael Griffin had a mixed bag against the Redskins, the positives where one sack and one hurry on five pass rushes also added two stops in the run game. However, Griffin struggled in pass coverage, where he allowed Nile Paul to turn the corner for a 50-yard gain on a wheel route early in the game. But the worse play by Griffin was taking a bad angle on Pierre Garcon and allowing the Washington receiver to outrace him to the end zone.

Breakdown: When Michael Oher was signed, the size of his contract raised some eyebrows and through seven weeks of the season he has failed to live up to those lofty expectation. Oher seems a poor fit as a zone blocking tackle, where he struggles on the backside of runs to make ‘reach’ blocks on the next defender.

Signature Stat: Q4, 5:32. Oher does not get in front of Jarvis Jenkins and allows the point of attack to be non existent as Jenkins is able to collapse the backside all the way to the center with little resistance.

Charlie Whitehurst, QB: -1.3

Breakdown: After Whitehurst’s strong showing two weeks ago he has performed worse each week. Every now and then he is capable of making a great throw (TD pass to Hagan), but more often than not the good is unable to take away from the poor decisions where he tries to force a pass that wasn’t there or is forced to make a quick decision with pressure in his face.

Signature Stat: On passes over 10 yards in the air Whitehurst completed 3-of-9 for 66 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT

Washington Redskins – Performances of Note

Bashaud Breeland, CB: +2.5

Breakdown: The fourth-round rookie cornerback has been playing as you would expect. Against the Titans he finally limited his mistakes while keeping the playmaking ability that got people excited about his future. Breeland had the splash play with the diving interception, but his consistency is what looked promising for the future.

Signature Stat: Breeland allowed four catches on five targets, but only one was for a first down.

Brian Orakpo, OLB: +3.0

Breakdown: In what could be Brian Orakpo’s final game as a Redskin as he had to leave the game early due to a possible pectoral injury. Orakpo showed the flashes of why he was franchised tagged this offseason. On 17 pass-rushing snaps he recorded three total pressures and a couple of times Orkapo had beaten his man only to see a second player come and help out.

Signature Play: Q2, 15:00. Orakpo swims Chris Spencer (who is playing as a sixth offensive lineman) with ease, then swims the Leon Washington only then does that allow Spencer time to recover and block Orkapo.

Colt McCoy, QB: +0.9

Breakdown: Outside of a curl route that Garcon took 70 yards for a touchdown and the last drive of the game, Colt McCoy did what he has done in his career, lots of short passes, very rarely attempting anything deep. The two shots that McCoy did take ended in good results one was a 30+ yard completion to DeSean Jackson that was nullified due to offsetting penalties and the other a defensive pass interference that effectively won the game. If Robert Griffin is out of a few more weeks it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Redskins went with McCoy as the starting quarterback because he makes fewer forced throws into coverage than Kirk Cousins has the past couple of weeks.

Signature Play: Q4, 1:14. McCoy throws a perfect pass over the outstretched hand of Jason McCourty for a pass that would have put Washington into field goal range, only to see it nullified due to the flag on the play.

PFF Game Ball

With some strong performances especially on the defensive side of the ball, some from the names above and other not mentioned. This week game ball goes to an unmentioned name in Ryan Kerrigan who provided four hurries and was effective in setting the edge in the run game.